The Supreme Court will hear a plea challenging the Kerala High Court\u2019s interim order which refused to ban the release of controversial Hindi film \u2018The Kerala Story\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for the early listing of the plea, following which the top court listed the matter for hearing on May 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, the Kerala High Court had refused to stay the release of the Adah Sharma-starrer, stating that a secular society will accept the movie for what it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In its May 5 order, the high court, while observing that the movie was fiction and not history, had asked the petitioners how it (the film) would stir communalism and conflict in the state and whether the film\u2019s entire trailer was anti-social in nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The High Court observed that noting bad will happen if the film is screened and asked the petitioners what they find offensive in the Bollywood film and its trailer, which was released in November last year….\u201dWhat is wrong in saying that Allah is the only God? The country gives citizens the right to believe in their religion and God and spread it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The court noted that many movies have been made before that target such radical organizations and make references against Hindu monks and Christian priests, asking what was so special this time that the petitioners seek a ban on the film\u2019s releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read Also<\/strong>: Karnataka elections: PM Modi pens open letter to electorate, highlights BJP\u2019s commitment to development<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018The Kerala Story\u2019 has sparked a massive controversy since its first trailer\u2014which claimed that 32,000 women from the state were converted to Islam and recruited by global terror group Islamic State\u2014 hit the screens in November last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who has vehemently opposed the film, recently termed it as a \u201cdeliberately produced\u201d piece of Sangh Parivar propaganda aimed to create communal divide and spread hatred among Hindus and Muslims in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The film was issued an \u2018A\u2019 certificate by the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and told to delete 10 scenes, including an interview with a former chief minister of Kerala, ahead of its theatrical release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The BJP has vociferously backed the Sudipto Sen directorial with even Prime Minister Narendra Modi praising the film for \u201cexposing a terror conspiracy\u201d and accusing the Congress of \u201csiding with terrorists\u201d and trying to appease them for political gain by opposing the film\u2019s release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n